Shield for medicinal needles



Jan. 15, 1946; s, C. CAR LE 2,393,143

SHIELD FOR MEDICINAL NEEDLES Filed April 2, 1945 INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 15, 1946 UNlTED s A ss PATENT ember 2,393,142. "sniELn FOR MEnrcrNAr. NEEDLES Sylvia Carwile, RoanokelVa. Application April 2, 1945, Serial No. 5 86,11 4

'4 Claims. (01128- 5221) This invention relates to a shield for medicinal needles.

At the present time hypodermic needles which are used for injection of various medicines are made of small diameter, and whilethese needles are made of tempered steel, or other metal, they frequently bend and break off during theiprojection thereof into the skin. In order, therefore, to provide a means to reinforce the needle during the initial insertion, at which time the needles usually J bend or break, a shield is .removably mounted about the needle and is substantially shorter in length than the needle so that the point may be projected into the desired part, after which the shield may be removed without withdrawal of the inserted needle, and'the latter I can then be moved inwardly for the desired length thereof. The shield is formed of complementary tubular members which are spring-pressed to closed position, and include a pair of handles which, upon movement toward each other, are adapted to move the tubular members to open position so that the shield may be removed from the needle without withdrawal of the needle.

To the foregoing objects and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a medical needle, having a shield mounted thereon, constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the shield.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of either Figure 2 or 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l0 desi nates generally a hypodermic needle construction embodying a magazine H, having secured thereto a needle l2, which is formed with a ferrule l3 at the inner or rear end thereof, which is threaded or otherwise secured to the magazine, or pump structure ll.

In order to provide a means whereby the needle (2 will be reinforced so as to prevent bending or breaking thereof as the needle is forced into the desired part of the body, I have provided a rein forcing shield construction, which includes apair of complementary semi-cylindrica1 tubular mem-' bers Hand 15. The tubular members It and l5 are of a length substantially shorter than the length of. the needle l2, so that a substantialportion of the needle will project from the forward end of the shield. This projecting end portion of the needle is. adapted toibe initially injected into the. body to the limit permitted by the length of the shield, and then the shield mayv be removed from the needle and the latter-injected into the body-for the desired length. j

The two tubular members l4 and it are of like constructi'onand are eachprov'ided'at at least oneof the confronting edges thereof with intel locking tongues l6 and 11, respectively. 'I'he'tubularv member: Mate'achend'thereof is also pro-. vided with outwardly extending lugs l8 and I9, and the tubular .member I5 is provided with confronting lugs 20 and 2|. The lugs IE to 2| are provided so that the two tubular members may be formed out of relatively thin metal, and the interlocking edges l6 and i! will be maintained in interlocking position and will not overlap each other. The confronting lugs limit the movement of the tubular members toward each other and prevent overlapping of the adjacent edges thereof.

The tubular member I4 is also provided at the inner or lower edge thereof with confronting lugs 22 and 23, the lug 22 being substantially longer than the lug 23. The tubular member I5 is also provided with lugs 24 and 25, which are adapted to confront the lugs 22 and 23, respectively. The long lugs 22 and 25 provide an additional reinforcing means to reinforce the tubular members against longitudinal bending.

The tubular member M has secured to or formed integral with the inner edge thereof an arm 26, and a handle or bar 21' is bent at an acute angle to the arm 26. The tubular member 15 has extending from the inner edge thereof an arm 28 and a bar or handle 29 disposed on an acute angle extends from the arm 28. The two handles 21 and 29 are connected together at their lower ends by a connecting member 30, which may be integral with the lower or convergent ends of the handles 21 and 29. The handles 2'! and 29 are inherently biased to a position to maintain the tubular members [4 and [5 in needle encompassing position.

A coil spring 3| is disposed at the lowerends of the handles 21 and 29 and has one end 32 thereof secured as by a lug 33 to the handle 21. The other end 34 of the coil spring 3| is secured the interlocking tongues or corrugations Hi and:

(I provide a means whereby bending strain on the needle I2 will not cause the tubular -mem-- bers M and 5 to move to an openlposition. The projecting end of the needle 12 which projects beyond the shield members 14 and IE1 injected into the skin and flesh and whemthev needle is injected to substantially the forward" ends; ofjthet shieldimembers. :the shield: cannbe quinkly andp easilyrendered;fromztheisneediesxby pressing-thehandleszl'l"and-2%towardreachmthelt The tubularrr membersi mull;- then be moyed" Ito::a-n open-:positiorr and the. tlrbtdar members 081115116 withdrawn flaterallyi'rom theeneedleeandtheclate teradditionally injected;

It hasbeen ,foimdizthatiuatterb the eneedle has been iinitially-injectedrinto the; skinaonrfleskr ad; ditional pressure ."on thecnee'dlei will DOBYtQHdFtO cause it to bend orbreak; Thisbendingroribreaks: ing. strainoccurs during thet initial injection of the needle, so that when-xthezprojeoting-zpontion of :the needle 'is :ingi ected into the: iand iflesh additional injection: mayebe made-without .seris: ously ibendingthe needle;

' This shield construction-. can be made out rot relatively :thin: metal," 01'- -other suitablewmaterial and can, therefore, be made relatively light in weight. By providing the shield out of metal it can be easily and quickly sterilized.

The exact configuration illustrated is regarded as the optimum, but some of the desirable results inherent in this disclosure may be obtained by various slight modifications including some departure from the exact configuration shown and it is therefore requested that the scope of the invention-shouldlbe regarded., as..limited only by the terms of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a tubular shield for a hypodermic needle comprising complementary semi-cylindrical members, a pair of handles-carried one by each of said members, means swingably connecting said handles together, an'dimeans engageable with said handles for constantly urging said members to closed position.

2; Aznew: articleof manufacture as.- setiforth in claim 1, including a connecting bar connect-i ingthea outer end vof aahandlexto: ansoppositemember, said'handlesybeinga disposed. outwardly divergent position, ,movement f thEOIIhBTTEIIdSnOf said handlestoward each-otherrprovidingxior the movement of said-memberaaway from eaehcother to; open position;

3'...A new article of-ri manufacturesasasetcferth int-claim, l, whereirrconfroritings. edgesri-oiiisaid memberszare formed with-interlocking: tongues:

4-; .A new :articleiof manufacture sas settforthein clainr 1; including radially; disposed outwardly extending :lugszcarriect laythe freeeedges :offsaid membersttouthereby hold lsai-dlzmembersrsagainst overlapping. 

